Why does breaker keep blowing

While much more expensive, this can be a more viable long-term solution, and it adds value to the property by allowing more energy-intensive appliances to be used. Another reason why a circuit breaker might trip is that there is faulty wiring in either the structure or in an appliance connected to an outlet.

Hard shorts from faulty wiring are a more severe issue than simple appliance overloads because they are more likely to cause electrical fires if left unfixed. Here, a call to an experienced electrical repair expert is a must. An electrician can help identify the faulty wiring and repair it to prevent future hard shorts that cause circuit breaker issues.

This particular circuit breaker issue is closely related to faulty wiring. However, instead of a connection between a hot wire and a neutral wire, the hot wire may be connecting to the ground circuit or other materials, such as wood, metal, or water. This also causes a short in the electrical system that trips the circuit breaker or, if installed, the local ground fault circuit interrupters GFCI. GFCI circuits are kind of like localized circuit breakers that are specific to a particular outlet.

Depending on the building codes for the area, GFCI may be required in areas where moisture contact with the circuit is considered a major risk—such as in bathrooms, kitchens, or outdoor electrical sockets. Once again, calling an experienced electrical repair expert may be the best solution to this problem—both to positively identify the issue and to make the actual repairs. If the source of the problem is moisture intrusion in the structure, more extensive property maintenance may be needed to eliminate the source of the excess moisture and prevent future ground faults.

When you plug in or turn on an appliance that has a short in its wiring, it will immediately trip the circuit—whether or not anything else is running. If you notice that using a specific appliance, such as your vacuum, trips the breaker every time you turn it on, try plugging it into an outlet in a different room. Because a short circuit can also occur in a wall switch or an outlet , if the breaker trips every time you turn on a specific light switch or plug something into a certain outlet, that indicates the location of the short.

Electrical shorts in home wiring should be inspected and repaired by a licensed electrician; discontinue use of the switch or plug until the pro takes care of the problem. Benjamin Franklin found that out when he flew a kite in a lightning storm! A ground fault can happen if water from a dripping pipe, leaky window, or other moisture source finds its way into an outlet or switch box. Water is a great conductor of electricity, and if it makes contact with wire connections or damaged wires, electricity can jump from the wiring loop and follow the water trail.

This creates a surge in electricity and the circuit breaker will trip. This used to be a more common occurrence before the invention of ground fault circuit interrupters GFCIs outlets, which are now required in kitchens and bathrooms. Electric offers a level of convenience, safety, reliability, and professionalism that has served millions.

Think your heating or cooling system might be using more energy than it should? Contact Aire Serv , part of the Neighborly family of home improvement experts. Aire Serv can diagnose and service any issues you might be having with heating or cooling systems.

Skip to main content. Your health and safety are our highest priority during this time. Click here for our precautionary measures. You can get your power back by following these three easy steps: Turn off all the lights and appliances affected by the power outage. Let us look at the three main reasons that cause circuit breakers to trip.

A circuit overload is one of the main reasons why circuit breakers trip constantly. This occurs when you want a particular circuit to provide more electricity than its actual capacity.

This will lead to the overheating of the circuit which puts all the electrical appliances connected to the circuit at risk. For example, if your television is connected to the circuit which actually needs 15 amps but is now using 20 amps, then the circuit of the television system will get fried and damaged.

The circuit breaker trips to prevent this from happening, potentially even preventing a major fire. You can address this issue by trying to redistribute your electrical devices and keeping them off of the same circuits as recommend fellow electrical repairmen. You can even turn off some devices to reduce the electrical load on the circuit breaker.

Short Circuits Another common reason why circuit breakers trip is a short circuit, which is more dangerous than an overloaded circuit. Whenever this happens, a large amount of current will flow through the circuit, creating more heat than what the circuit can handle.

When this happens the breaker will trip, shutting off the circuit to prevent dangerous events such as a fire.